Soon, some ladies came up with excuses to leave, and the soirée came to an end. The others made their way to their carriages, departing from Ellingford's countryside estate. The courtyard soon emptied, the hum of departing voices fading into the hush of twilight.
Victoria, however, remained seated, her gaze following the disappearing carriages. Lady Anne, who had been preparing to leave, took note of the queen's stillness and approached her with quiet curiosity.
"Is something amiss, Your Majesty? Do you require anything?"
"No," Victoria replied, her voice soft, contemplative. "I was merely admiring the scenery. Let us take a walk."
"Of course." Anne said eagerly.
Victoria rose gracefully, smoothing the silken folds of her gown. She turned briefly to her ladies-in-waiting. "Wait for me by the carriage. I shall not be long."
They nodded and stepped back. Anne fell into step beside her as they moved away from the estate's main grounds.
"Is there anywhere in particular you wish to go?" Anne asked.
"The gardens."
The two women strolled towards the estate's gardens, where the scent of roses and lavender lingered in the evening air.
Victoria's hair, dark as the midnight sky, moved with the whisper of the wind, loose tendrils curling against the porcelain smoothness of her skin. The light from the setting sun kissed her features—the high, noble cheekbones, the full lips, the finely arched brows that framed sharp, discerning green eyes. Lady Anne regarded her with veiled admiration, noting how effortlessly regal she appeared.
But admiration was not all that stirred within her. A pang of envy coiled in her chest—envy that Victoria had been born into privilege, that fate had placed a crown upon her head with little struggle. Anne had spent her life striving for the smallest of freedoms, clawing her way up from insignificance. But envy, she reminded herself, was a fruitless indulgence, for if there was one truth she knew, it was that the queen bore her burdens with quiet grace. Malveria adored her—at least, the common folk did. The nobles, however, were another matter entirely. The men despised answering to a woman, while the women resented the liberty she wielded, a privilege none of them had known even as children. To be queen was to possess a life every woman longed for.
Victoria's voice drew her from her thoughts.
"Oh, how lovely."
Anne noticed they had reached the garden. Victoria was still moving, though, past the trimmed hedges and into a more secluded path—towards the pond not far from where they stood, hidden behind rose-covered trellises.The path wasn't easily noticed by a first time visitor, so Anne wondered how she knew of it. She had probably visited the estate once before but then Baldric made it sound like this was the queen's first time coming to the estate.
Anne watched as Victoria ran her fingers through the leaves that danced in the evening breeze.
Eager to break the eerie silence, Anne cleared her throat.
"I hope that you were pleased with the soirée."
Victoria turned slightly, her gaze warm yet distant. "Oh yes. I am. You truly impressed me."
"Thank you. I... I—" Anne paused, unsure of what to say.
"Are you uncomfortable in my presence?" Victoria asked, amused.
"Of course not. Just... nervous."
"Nervous? Why?"
"Nervous as to why you are still here. I just feel like there's something you want to say."
"It just has been so long since I last came to the countryside. I wanted to spend more time here before going back to Aldenbury. That, and I wanted to look at the gardens."
"But the palace has a grand one, does it not? I have heard it is vast. You can always go there if you so desire it."
Victoria turned to her in surprise. "Heard? You have never seen it?"
"No. The palace is not accessible to all. Certainly not to me or Lord Baldric."
Victoria was silent for a moment, as though weighing her next words. "Not even as a child?"
Anne hesitated, then shook her head. "No."
"Strange. The palace always held parties in the gardens. Surely you would have been invited."
Anne shook her head again. "I did not spend my entire life here."
"That explains why I had not always known you," Victoria mused, her lips curving slightly. "You are difficult to overlook."
Anne lowered her gaze briefly before offering a small, polite smile. "You are too kind, Your Majesty."
"It is merely the truth. And not only because of your appearance." Victoria studied her with interest. "There is something about you. A presence. A quiet force. It is difficult to explain, but I have no doubt that you are a woman who pursues what she desires. No matter the risk."
"Is this about the soirée?"
"That and other things."
Anne exhaled a short laugh. "We all desire something. The challenge lies in attaining it."
"No. The real challenge is what you will do to attain it."